Motorola, RIM Closing In On Tablet Plunge
NEW YORK (
) -- Tablet talk is heating up as
Motorola
(MOT)
outlined plans to introduce two sizes of tablets early next year, and unconfirmed reports said
Samsung
flew by the 1-million-sold mark for its Galaxy Tab.
Tablet sales, led by
Apple's
(AAPL) - Get Report
iPad, are expected to
take a big chunk out of the netbook
and possibly the broader PC markets as consumers opt for
new touch-screen devices
.
|
As evidence to the gadget's popularity, Samsung, which launched its Galaxy Tab (pictured above) about three weeks ago, has reportedly forecast a goal of hitting the 1.5 million sold mark by year's end. Samsung's U.S. representatives, however, could not immediately confirm this update.
Either way, a strong performance for a $400 device running on Google's Android operating system will be seen as encouraging to
,
Research In Motion
(RIMM)
and now Motorola.
During a presentation to investors this week, analysts said Motorola phone chief Sanjay Jha talked about the viability of 7-inch and 10-inch tablets. According to Jha, tablets represent "an important growth opportunity."
Motorola is
late to the tablet game
, which makes analysts and industry watchers ever more eager to see just what's in the works. Similarly, RIM gave observers a few more hints about its tablet placeholder, the
Thursday.
In a webcast to investors, RIM demonstrated the screen's four-point touch operation and urged developers not to design applications to specific screen sizes. This gave analysts like JPMorgan's Rod Hall the impression that RIM might introduce the PlayBook with more than one screen size.
And while the field of rivals starts to take shape, Apple has, perhaps, inadvertently created its own iPad competitors.
Some savvy shoppers said they are waiting for the iPad 2 with its cameras and video conferencing features, and still others said the tablet-sized
MacBook Air has become the iPad killer
in some key circles.
--Written by Scott Moritz in New York.>To contact this writer, click here: Scott Moritz, or email: scott.moritz@thestreet.com.To follow Scott on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/MoritzDispatch.>To send a tip, email: tips@thestreet.com.